Abhor Back-biting. Ivy all the body of Chriff, and aauateth all his living members; and keepeth up love and holinefs in the Church ; and is the fame in all humble hea- venly, Chriflians in the world. It will be ofgreat ufe to you, in order to your own and the Chur- ches peace, to underftand and obferve the dif- ference between thefe contrary forts of religious zeal, DIRECT. XXI. Lend not a patient ear to back-biters; much left muff you haftilybelieve then; when they fpeak ill ofothers : But Jbew your deteIta- tior, of that fin though theyfbould be asoft religiouspeople that ufe it, anddo it upon a religious pretence. IDonot fay that it is always unlawful to fpeak that which is ill of another behind his back. Sometime wicked men will take occafion to ju- ífifie fin it felf,by the advantage of a tïnners name: And fometime they will magnifie the vextues of fome wicked man, or of fome of their fed, on purpofe to cafi reproach ongodlinefs, or to make others odious by the companion. Yet in fach- cafes we muff reprefs their malignity more by a rlefen(ive thanan denfivè oppoGtion. But the u- fual courfe of back-biting in all forts of':nén , is linfula The back-biter ( how greát or Jearned or geligio:ts foever ) is but the devils minif}er, to preach
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